Moving to Richmond, CA — Cost, Timing, Best-For

What to know before you move: cost, market timing, who it fits.

37
Momentum score
$608,357
Median home value
-4.9%
Home YoY
115,353
Population

If you're considering a move to Richmond, CA, the most important variables are the local housing market, the cost structure (taxes, insurance, utilities), and how well the city fits your day-to-day life. This page summarizes the housing market read; pair it with the cost of living page for the full picture.

Richmond is a city in Contra Costa County, California, with an estimated population of 115,353. It anchors the San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley metro area. The median home value in Richmond is $608,357 as of 2026-04, down 4.9% over the last 12 months. Over the last five years, home values have averaged -1.0% annual growth, and the market currently sits about 17% below its 5-year peak. Rents in Richmond average $2,562 per month, roughly flat year-over-year (+2.8%). The composite momentum score is 37 of 100 (Cooling). Buyers may find more room to negotiate; sellers should price realistically.

Prices have come off recent highs (-16.5% from peak). Buyers may have more room to negotiate; sellers should price realistically.

Reasons people move here

  • The data is the data: Richmond has at least 5 years of Zillow tracking, full Census identification, and is included in the 1-criteria momentum score on this page.
  • Data is sourced from public datasets (Zillow, US Census) with full citations on the methodology page.

Things to know first

  • Cooling: -4.9% over the trailing year — momentum has stalled.
  • 17% off recent peak — buyers are getting through-the-cycle pricing, not the peak.

More about Richmond

Sources: Zillow ZHVI (home values), Zillow ZORI (rents), US Census ACS + place population. Updated when source agencies publish revisions.